1. Field of the Invention:
This invention relates to an electrocardiogram (ECG) diagnostic pad capable of measuring and recording electrocardiograms of the electric current detected from various parts of the body for electrocardiographic diagnostic purposes, and more particularly, to an ECG diagnostic pad having ECG electrodes which can readily be brought in contact with the anatomically prescribed parts of the body of a human subject with accuracy merely by attaching the pad onto the chest wall of the body.
2. Description of the Prior Art:
Analytical diagnostics which are made by utilization of electrocardiograms (ECG) have been generally applied for a diagnosis of cardiopathy, for example. As one of existing electrocardiographs, there has been widely used so far the so-called Holter's electrocardiograph of a portable type with a built-in cassette tape recorder for continuously detecting and recording ECG data over a long period of time.
A standard 12-lead ECG method for inducing twelve sorts of lead ECG currents from the body of a human subject by using the aforesaid portable electrocardiograph and so on has been known. In this 12-lead ECG method, bipolar limb lead ECG (Standard lead I: left arm-right arm; Standard lead II: left leg-right arm; and Standard lead III: left leg-left arm), unipolar limb lead ECG (Standard lead aVR: right arm, and left arm-left leg; Standard lead aVL: left arm, and right arm-left leg; and Standard lead aVF: left leg, and right arm-left arm), and unipolar precordial lead ECG (V1-V6) are analyzed. Namely, twelve electric potential differences which are expressed in terms of the waveforms (ECG pattern) which vary with time are detected by applying ECG lead electrodes to ten parts of the subject's body and provide information on the condition and performance of the heart.
The ECG lead electrodes for detecting bipolar and unipolar limb leads are attached onto both arms and both legs, and the ECG lead electrodes for unipolar precordial lead are attached onto the chest wall. Particularly, the unipolar precordial lead electrodes are placed at six anatomically prescribed locations on the left-hand region of the chest wall close by the heart. In most cases, a human subject or patient would enlist the aid of a doctor or other helpers to attach the ECG lead electrodes onto the surface of the subject's body and endure discomfort. Besides, the work of attaching the ECG lead electrodes requires much time and labor and proves to be troublesome.
To eliminate the aforenoted drawbacks suffered by the conventional electrocardiographs including the portable Holter's electrocardiograph, the inventor of this invention has been formerly proposed a standard 12-lead electrocardiograph in Japanese Patent Appln. Public Discl. HEI 1-265942. An ECG electrode pad is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,583,549 to MANOLI.
The aforesaid conventional ECG pads each comprises a pad base formed in a narrow strap shape having unipolar precordial lead ECG electrodes, and makes it difficult to place the ECG electrodes at the anatomically prescribed locations on the chest wall. Also, the work of attaching the ECG pad onto the proper part prescribed on the chest wall and the work of detaching the same are both relatively troublesome. For small children and aged persons, they are frequently either impossible or very difficult.
Furthermore, the works of connecting the unipolar precordial lead ECG electrodes to an external electrocardiograph or other possible instruments and connecting the bipolar and unipolar limb lead electrodes to be attached to both arms and legs of the human subject or patient to the ECG pad often become onerous and are likely to give rise to a connection mistake of the ECG electrodes.